Author: Paul Browning

Originally posted by Philip Edwards on the Thought Grazing Forums

I decided to re-visit the novels of Stieg Larsson…..if you remember, he came out with a series of thrillers; The Millennium Series, revolving around a central character, Lisbeth Salander.

I was about five chapters into the second novel, The girl who played with fire,  when I realised that I’d forgotten an essential part of the plot from the first book in the series. How was it that Lisbeth Salander had so much money? In one part of the story, she buys a really flashy new apartment then spends a fortune at IKEA to furnish it, even having it all delivered with two guys to assemble it all. Where did all the money come from.

So, I decided to ask Chat GPT.

My question:-

In the Steig Larsson novels, how did Lisbeth Salander get so much money?

Answer….within seconds:-

ChatGPT
In the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson, particularly in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Lisbeth Salander is depicted as having a substantial amount of money. She acquires this wealth through various means, including:

Hacking Skills: Lisbeth Salander is portrayed as a skilled hacker. She is able to access confidential information, steal money from corrupt individuals, and manipulate financial systems to her advantage.
Illegal Activities: Throughout the series, Salander is involved in various illegal activities, including hacking into bank accounts, stealing from criminals, and engaging in blackmail. These activities enable her to accumulate significant sums of money.
Inheritance: In the series, it is also revealed that Lisbeth Salander inherits a substantial amount of money from her father, who was a high-ranking figure in the Swedish Secret Police. This inheritance adds to her financial resources.
Overall, it is a combination of her hacking abilities, involvement in illegal activities, and inheritance that allows Lisbeth Salander to amass a considerable amount of wealth in the novels.

Well, that saved me having to re-read book one. All in all, a novel use of AI.

— Forum Responses —

Do you know, that’s one of the most useful applications of ChatGPT I’ve heard of. I can see me using it for that when I finally get round to reading the final part of Hilary Mantel’s trilogy on Thomas Cromwell, which has been sitting on my shelf for nearly two years (at least). It’s been reported that she didn’t want to finish the book because she knew the ending. That could be why I’ve put off reading it as well.

David Harrison February 17, 2024 3:15 pm